12 Vs 14 Foot Boat

[CrustyMono]

I am looking into getting a jon boat.

1. I am on a budget, so I would like to find a cheap, yet effective boat right now we have about $1200

2. My Grandfather is splitting the cost in half with me

3. I am 15 and will be receiving my mom's FJ Crusier as a car when I am 16

4. My friend has a 12 foot Lowe Sea Nymph that has a plywood casting deck

5. My lake house lake is trolling motor only

6. I may want a 5/10 hp motor eventually for other water bodies

7. I want to add a casting deck of plywood

8. I want to get a bow mount motor eventually

9. i would start with one 5o pound trolling motor

 

Here is my question:

If I were to get a 12 foot boat, would I be able to put it on the roof rack? We can put it in my dad's truck also, will try this with my 10 foot boat first. This would be a good idea because i wouldn't need a trailer, which would enable me to buy new or add better gear. Next, should i get a jon or a vhull? i want a boat that is stable. my lake house lake is small and does not get rough, but the other bodies of water i ay fish can get rough in a jon boat. Is 12 0r 14 feet a better choice? at the end of the day, I want a long lasting, affordable, fun and good boat that can help me catch fish. I am really excited and want a boat now. On the other hand, i see the economical and logical reasons to wait. Thanks in advance!

[Scott F]

Short, 12 to 14 foot inexpensive V hull, round bottom, boats are not stable. Jon boats are much better suited if you want to stand and fish. Get the biggest boat you can afford. The longest lasting boat is going to be one that is new now, and well taken care of during it's entire life. A trailer is a good investment.  Being able to leave the motor, battery, rods, net, and the rest of your gear in the boat while you trailer it to and from your lake is soooo much better than having to unload, drag the boat to the truck, lift it up, strap it down, and load the gear back into the truck. Don't make your grandfather help you unload all your gear and put the boat on top of the car every time you go fish. 

[CrustyMono]

1 hour ago, Scott F said:

Short, 12 to 14 foot inexpensive V hull, round bottom, boats are not stable. Jon boats are much better suited if you want to stand and fish. Get the biggest boat you can afford. The longest lasting boat is going to be one that is new now, and well taken care of during it's entire life. A trailer is a good investment.  Being able to leave the motor, battery, rods, net, and the rest of your gear in the boat while you trailer it to and from your lake is soooo much better than having to unload, drag the boat to the truck, lift it up, strap it down, and load the gear back into the truck. Don't make your grandfather help you unload all your gear and put the boat on top of the car every time you go fish. 

I like the idea, now that I think of it, my friend's boat may be a semi v, because it is flat on the bottom. I like the idea of going new, but it may cost more. i guess i could get the essentials now and save up for a trailer.

[Scott F]

I would put "long lasting" down the list of my priorities for my first boat. You are pretty young. In just a few years, you'll have a job and making money. You will outgrow this boat long before the boat is worn out. You should be able to find a used boat with a trailer that will fill your needs today and keep you fishing for several years. Take care of it, and you'll get most of your money back out of it when you are ready to upgrade.

[IndianaFinesse]

Find a used aluminum 14 foot modified-v hull, preferably prerigged with a small outboard and trolling motor.  I bought a used 14' mod-v aluminum boat rigged with a 9.9 horse power motor, brand new 36 pound trolling motor, two anchors and ropes, two depth finders, and a trailer on craigslist and talked him down to $1200.  Just make sure to check the nuts on the trailer tires to make sure they aren't missing, I didn't do this and found out the hard way they were missing.  Somehow the trailer tire stayed on over 28 miles of highway with nothing holding it on, I have no idea how the tire didn't roll off since it wasn't attached to the trailer.

[WRB]

How about a kayak?

flat bottom 12'-14'Jon  boats aren't very safe to stand on a raised platform because they are too narrow.  Standing on the boat bottom near the water line would be a lot safer with Jon boats.

I mentioned Sun Dolphin boats before in your price range, the Pro 120 is only 11'3" long with 60" beam, built in chairs, platform, trolling motor mount front and back. 

I see several used for sale with all the things you need.

Whatever you decide to get make sure it's safe to stand up and fish.

Tom

[Catt]

Geez y'all don't get huh?

Bottom width!

That is the key to stability of a Jon boat!

Not length & not beam!

Flip the boat over & measure the width of the bottom of the boat. The wider the bottom the more stable the boat will be.

For adding a deck I would not go any narrower than 40-42" with 44" or bigger ideal.

[Way2slow]

If you want to stand and fish in a jon, don't get a 32" or 36" wide, unless you don't mind taking a dunk from time to time. 

A 1442 is the smallest I would want, and the 1448 would make a much better platform for standing while casting..

However, for your budget, you will have to be shopping for a used one.  Just the boat without a trailer (and you will need a trailer for one that size) will cost you more than your budget.  Even used, you probably won't get one with a motor worth having.

[JustJames]

On September 18, 2016 at 5:20 PM, WRB said:

How about a kayak?

flat bottom 12'-14'Jon  boats aren't very safe to stand on a raised platform because they are too narrow.  Standing on the boat bottom near the water line would be a lot safer with Jon boats.

I mentioned Sun Dolphin boats before in your price range, the Pro 120 is only 11'3" long with 60" beam, built in chairs, platform, trolling motor mount front and back. 

I see several used for sale with all the things you need.

Whatever you decide to get make sure it's safe to stand up and fish.

Tom

Jon boat is not so stable if you gonna build a plat form to stand no matter what size. It works but you have to be very careful when you move around. How do I know?

This is my jon boat pimp up for bass fishing, 14' long with 36" (edit) wide. I alway fish with a 250lbs friend and when he moves the boat would lean to the side. So far we have not had any incident yet knock on wood becuz we try to balance each other. Another thing WIND, this is really big problem with light weight aluminum jon boat.

on the other hand WRB recommended Sun Dophin Pro 120. I have seen this boat preform in Jon B. Video. I think it is way better than my jon boat in the way of stability and storage. Check it out.

[lo n slo]

standing in a smaller jon boat can be risky, platform or not. same thig goes for tall pedestals. catt hit on the most important factor, width. my suggestion is a 7" pedestal with swivel mount and a seat, mounted to the bench. a forward deck can be used for trolling motor/sonar mounting, battery and general storage. you can slide a 12' jon boat in the back of a truck and git r done all day long. i did it for years and caught just as many fish as i now do in my Javelin. here is a pic of my latest jon boat rigged as stated above. good luck and be careful.

 

[BrianSnat]

I'd definitely go no shorter than 14 ft, especially if you fish with your grandfather. I definitely think you should forget the idea of cartopping the boat. Even a 12 ft jonboat is going to be close to  100 lbs and that's without any deck. Also there is something to be said for loading the boat with gear in your driveway and being ready to fish when you get to the water. If you cartop you need to load and unload it at the launch. PITA

You can deck the boat  but consider keeping the deck lower so as to lower the center of gravity. See my boat below.   It's extremely stable  BTW I got this 14 ft V hull with 9.9 motor and trailer for $1,500.  I'm not much of a bargainer and paid the asking price, but probably could have chewed him down. 

 

[SWMIBASSER]

where are you located?

[kjfishman]

On 9/24/2016 at 1:16 PM, briansnat said:

I'd definitely go no shorter than 14 ft, especially if you fish with your grandfather. I definitely think you should forget the idea of cartopping the boat. Even a 12 ft jonboat is going to be close to  100 lbs and that's without any deck. Also there is something to be said for loading the boat with gear in your driveway and being ready to fish when you get to the water. If you cartop you need to load and unload it at the launch. PITA

You can deck the boat  but consider keeping the deck lower so as to lower the center of gravity. See my boat below.   It's extremely stable  BTW I got this 14 ft V hull with 9.9 motor and trailer for $1,500.  I'm not much of a bargainer and paid the asking price, but probably could have chewed him down. 

 

You didn't get hurt at that price! Priced motors lately?